The Darkness Inside
by SapphireOceans
Summary: When Connie is attacked by the Chimera, the trustee's are left shocked. Has Kullervo found another universal? Meanwhile, Asha McBride is having sinister dreams of a dark shadow... Starts halfway through CC; what could have happened. Contains strong language and moderate violence.
1. Authors Note

**This fic is based on a thought I had when reading CC, during the scene where Connie is talking with the trustee's about why Kullervo set the chimera on her. Here's that quote to refresh your memories before I start the actual fic, so you know what I'm going on about.**

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"'_But that would mean he's finally given up on turning me to his side,' said Connie. 'Which would mean-'_

'_Which would mean he found another universal. He not need you,' concluded Mr Chan._

'_Revenge now on his mind,' said Jade in a silky voice._

_The prospect of Kullervo finding another universal filled all of them with dread. The shadow chamber became obscured by a cold, damp fog as Connie could not contain her bewilderment at the new thought that Kullervo would now stop at nothing to eliminate her. The worst was not the fear for her life but his rejection of her: though she should not want him, he was still her companion. And if they did not find the other universal first, who knew what Kullervo would persuade him or her to do?"_

_(The Chimera's Curse, page 127-128)_

What if Kullervo had found a new universal?


	2. Part I

**Part I**

"All things truly wicked start from an innocence."

~Ernest Hemingway, _A Moveable Feast _


	3. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Into the darkness_

_She walked on a knife edge between the light and the dark. She was balancing precariously on a fine line between the two; the conflicting forces battling around her. On one side, beams of silver lit up her face, bathing her face in warm, welcoming light. On the other side, a sea of blue–black darkness; reaching out to her with tendrils which softly caressed her hair._

Choose. Make your choice.

_Her own voice spoke to her, and she realised she was inside of herself, inside her own mind._

I can't!_ She thought back. _I don't know which way to turn.

But you do._ Said another voice. A dark, hissing voice. His voice. _You know what to do, companion.

_And she did. She closed her eyes and let herself fall backwards into the darkness._


	4. Chapter One

**WARNING: Strong language and some moderate violence ahead.**

**Dedicated to: Frozen Smoke, Mbali97 and Angelmail for your reviews! Thanks so much guys! xxx**

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_**Chapter One**_

Asha marched up the stairs, her arms folded and a scowl on her face. They didn't understand. They never even tried to understand.

"Stupid idiotic thing to do!" she heard her mother mutter to her father downstairs. "We almost locked her out there again."

Asha didn't care. She couldn't have told them she was going outside; they'd have stopped her. They just didn't understand how free it made her feel to be out there alone, with nothing but the wind in her hair and her ipod on full blast. It was like flying. The problem was that Asha loved her swing. She loved to swing as high as she could and lean back, so her long dark curl brushed the floor, and she could see the stars under her feet. Ever since she was three she'd loved to go on it, kicking off from the ground and soaring into the air. Of course, her parents had thought it was cute when she was little. Now she was almost sixteen and they just found it strange. She'd got her ipod for Christmas when she was eleven, and since then she'd taken it out at least once a day with her; even when it snowed. She felt so trapped, stuck between walls every day, and the swing was the only thing that made her feel free.

She wished she could just make her parents_ see_.

She shut her bedroom door firmly, and began to change into her pyjamas. Tue, the problem this time had been that she was out there at 11 O'clock at night, but hey, no one's perfect. She caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror as she brushed her teeth and sighed. Her normally pale face was flushed from the night air and her grey-green eyes were bright with cold, and she rubbed her cheeks, trying to warm them up. She walked back into her room, clambering into bed and looking around her room for a second. Books. Everywhere. 23 shelves worth and a window sill. Thank God for Ikea Billy-Bookcases. Asha loved to read almost as much as she loved to go out on her swing. Books were her best friends; they didn't insult er or laugh at her the way some people did. They just took her away to new, wonderful worlds and places that she never wanted to leave. But she always had too. With a sigh, Asha leant over and turned out the light.

-x-

_Drip._

_Drip. _

_Asha looked around to see where the noise was coming from, but she couldn't see the source. She blinked, realising that she was in the bathroom. _Why am I here? Wasn't I in bed?_ She glanced around the bathroom, and froze when she saw her reflection in the mirror. She stepped towards the sink, reaching out a hand to touch the glass. Her reflection did the same. Asha paused, her fingers centimetres away, and looked down at herself. She was wearing her normal white pyjamas. She looked back at the reflection. The girl in the mirror was wearing a blood red dress. "Dreaming. That's it. I'm dreaming." She said out loud. Her reflection giggled. _

"_You keep telling yourself that, Asha."_

Asha rolled over in bed, a small frown on her face. She didn't remember the dream when she woke that morning.

-x-

_Shit, shit, shit, shit!_ Asha's school skirt flew up around her as she ran, and she had to hold it down with one hand. She raced down the hill trying to beat the bus. _No...nononononono! _The bus was ahead of her now, stopping at the stop...she reached the metal pole just as it pulled away.

"CRAP!" she yelled; she was overheating in her stupid blazer from the exertion and her legs were bruised where her bag had thumped against them. She sat down on the plastic bench inside the shelter with an exasperated sigh. Just her luck.

-x-

"So yeah, party at mine on Saturday ." Lucy said to Julia across Asha. "It'll be a blast."

Asha stared down at her work, sighing. She was stupid, wondering if they'd invite her. They never did. The two of them, along with Tara, had been best friends since primary school; Asha herself was just a hanger on, someone to sit next to when they had to divide into groups of 4. A necessity. A pity friend. She doodles in the margin, whilst the girls chatted and laughed around her. She told herself she didn't mind; at least she wasn't being bullied or anything. Not really. Not anymore. But somehow, this was worse. It was like she was a ghost; as if she had ceased to exist. And in the eyes of the world, maybe she had.

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, this was just really background stuff; more action in the next one!**

**Thanks for reading! Please review, I love to get feedback!**

**Sapphy**

**xxx**


	5. Chapter Two

**Dedicated to: ****AnimalculusInMeinToiletvater and T97 for your absolutely lovely reviews!**

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_**Chapter Two**_

_The moon was high in the sky, casting a strange silver sheen over her back garden. The girls' slender frame was silhouetted by silver light as she stood at her bedroom window, gazing out into the night. Her small hand reached out, unlatching the window, and pushing it open. A cold autumn wind swept into the room, blowing through the brown hair, tangled by sleep. Asha didn't even flinch at the chilling bite of the night air. Instead, she moved closer to the open window, until she was a near as she could get without tumbling out onto the patio below. A strange patch of darkness had a appeared just outside of her window; a blue black cloud which kept shifting and twisting into different forms. Entranced, Asha reached out a hand..._

A slamming door jerked Asha out of sleep. She blinked, pushing her hair out of her face with one hand, before sitting up.

"Asha Lilith McBride! Get down here now! You're going to be late"

Asha groaned, swinging her legs out of bed and standing up. She shivered in the cold air from the open window, pulling it closed. She stepped over a couple of leaves and feathers that had blown in, before grabbing her school uniform and heading towards the bathroom to have a shower.

As she was getting dressed, the faint memory of a distant dream drifted into her mind. She paused, staring at her reflection in the mirror. _Herself, but not; a dress the colour of blood; black eyes in a wild, pale face._ Asha blinked. "Ok-aaaaaay..." she laughed softly too herself. "Weird. 'm just being silly... and now I'm talking to myself, that's never good..." She laughed softly again. "Shut up Asha." She instructed herself, before unlocking the bathroom door and going downstairs for breakfast.

Her dad was sitting at the table, reading the paper whilst slugging down coffee. He looked up, vaguely, as Asha came in. "Tuck your shirt in." He said, as way of a morning greeting, "I don't want you going around looking like one of those ragamuffins."

Asha rolled her eyes, but did so, before sitting down at the table. Her mum shoved a plate at her. "Eat _quickly_ Asha, I'll be cross if you're late again! What have you got on tonight?"

"School play rehearsal."

"Oh, you got in then? What is it?"

"Macbeth."

"And you are?"

"Lady Macbeth."

"Thank God, you've finally got a good part!"

Asha flushed, shovelling down her beans on toast.

"We're going out at four, and won't be back until around six."

"Meeting?" Asha said, "Do you want me to look after Sophie again?"

"No, she's coming with us."

Asha paused, looking up. "What?"

"It's my assessment!" Sophie said excitedly, looking up from her cereal. Her excited eleven year old face beamed at Asha. "Isn't that amazing?"

Asha looked back don at her breakfast, suddenly not as hungry as she was a moment ago. She took a deep breath, fixing a smile on her face. "That's fantastic, Soph!"

"I'm so excited! " he sister squealed, practically bouncing in her seat.

"Yeah. Yeah, I bet you are." Asha said, still smiling, trying to keep her voice animated. "Well done, Soph."

She got up, putting her plate in the sink and headed out of the kitchen, her smile slowly disappearing. She only hoped that her little sister wouldn't receive the same disappointment that she had.

-x-

Keen eyes watched the girl walking down the road, her long, curly hair struggling to escape the white woolly hat rammed down onto it. He again felt surprise that this small, skinny child could have such power. But then again, he'd underestimated the first girl too. A mistake he wouldn't be making again. He flickered into the shape of a sylph, following her down the road. He reached out a hand, brushing her hair, making her shiver. He could feel the power thrumming through her, just waiting to be used. Yes, she'd do. She'd do quite nicely. And this time, the society wouldn't be getting in his way.

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**Thank you for reading, please review! Your reviews always want to make me write more!**

**Sapphy**

**xxx**


	6. Chapter Three

**Hey, I know it's been a while since I updated, but I wrote this chapter in loads of random notebooks and on different scraps of paper and lost half of them and had to track them down and piece it all together...anyway, hope you like it...I have to admit there was a bit of **_**Kindertransport**_** influence here; we were doing it in drama at the time. Also, I realised after I'd put this up, that I'd called her sister Kathy in this chapter, because that's what she was originally called. She's called _Sophie_; I've edited but if I've got it wrong in a couple of places, I'm sorry and please tell me!**

**I hope you enjoyed, please review!**

**xxx**

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_**Chapter Three**_

Asha rested her head against the window of the bus, staring out at the world going past. The orange glow from the street lamps flickered through the windows, streaking her face with amber light for a few second before she was plunged into darkness once more, as the bus moved on. Raindrops began to trickle down the window, looking like globules of honey when the street lights caught them. She jumped as the doors opened with a hiss and leapt up, slinging her bag over her shoulder, recognising her stop. She pulled up her hood and stepped out into the rain, which immediately soaked her face and the tendrils of hair escaping the anorak, drumming on the plastic as she walked down the street. She finally arrived home, her cold wet fingers fumbling for her keys in her pocket. She finally found them and tried to open the door; she had to resort to using her entire weight as the damp weather had made the wood swell up. It finally gave, and she half fell into the house, before shutting the door behind her, with some difficulty, it must be said. She dumped her school bag on the floor and kicked off her sodden school shoes before hanging her coat on the radiator to dry.

"Hello?" she called. No answer. Which a sigh, she grabbed her Macbeth script and began to learn her lines.

-x-

"_Here's the small of blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand! Oh, oh, oh_!" Asha's dramatic declaration was interrupted by the front door opening.

"Asha, we're home!" her mother trilled.

"Hey mum." Asha sighed, closing her script. She'd ask her mum to practise with her, but she knew what the answer would be. "_I'm too busy right now Asha, you'll have to manage on your own_"_. _"How did it go?" she asked Sophie, setting down her script. Part of her hoped that her sister wasn't disappointed, but a small meaner part of her hoped that Asha wouldn't be the only one alone...

"I got in!" Sophie squealed. "I'm a unic-"

"Bed time Sophie!" her mum interjected quickly.

Sophie looked upset. "But I-"

"_Now_."

Sophie walked up the stairs, mumbling to herself.

"Why wouldn't you let her finish?" Asha said softly.

"You don't want to hear about all the stuff she did; it was just little kids stuff."

"Or maybe you just don't want me to hear about what your precious society does?"

Her mum turned away. "I'm not having this conversation again."

"Why won't you tell me the truth? What are you afraid of?"

"It's nothing to do with you Asha."

"You're my family, how is it nothing to do with me?"

"Just _leave it_ Asha!"

"Was it something I said? Something I did? Why aren't I good enough?"

"Asha-"

"I've _never_ been good enough for you!"

"That's ENOUGH!"

"_Just tell me_!"

"No!" her mother turned away, looking furious. "What did I ever do to get such a badly behaved child?"

"How could I not be a bad child with such a lying cow for a mother?"

"How da-"

"A _fucking_ lying cow of a mother!"

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

"GLADLEY!" Asha screamed back, turning and running from the room. She bolted up the stairs and slammed the door behind her, throwing herself on the bed.

-x-

Drip.

Drip.

_It was the sound that alerted Asha to her surroundings. She was, once again, in the bathroom. She looked around, glancing in the mirror. The girl was still there. Smiling. Asha was scared by the way she smiled. Her smile was beautiful, but...cold._

"_Back again, Asha?" she said calmly, her eyes glinting._

"_Who are you?" Asha said, feeling slightly nervous._

"_Oh, I think you know." The girl said, hidden laughter dripping from her words._

"_I really don't..." Asha stepped forwards slightly, closer to the mirror. "Tell me, please..." prickles of fear ran down her back at the predatory look in the girls eyes. The girl giggled._

"_I'll tell you...if you can catch me!" she called, and the world around Asha changed. The white tiled walls were replaced by glass. Mirrors. She was in a room of mirrors. The girl in red darted from one to another. "Catch me! Come on little Asha!"_

_Asha began to run after her, her feet sapping against the floor, the sound resounding around the room and mingling with the girls echoing laughter._

"_Over here!"_

"_Now here!"_

_Her voice seemed to come from everywhere at once._

"_Come and find me!"_

_The resonating laughter and taunts rose to a crescendo, hammering in her ears. Asha screamed- _

And sat up in bed, her eyes wide. There was only silence, apart from those night-time sounds; the hum of the fridge, the ticking of the clock, the far off keening of a fox. Asha sighed and lay back down, chewing her lip nervously. But although she pulled the covers back over herself, she couldn't bring herself to close her eyes again until she saw the salmon pink streaks of dawn lighting up the morning sky.


	7. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

"Asha McBride! Are you even listening to a word I'm saying?"

"Huh?" Asha looked up into the furious face of the head of Key Sage Four.

"Take those headphones out of your ears and pay attention!"

Asha did so, scowling.

"What did I just tell you all to do?"

"I don't know miss."

"Obviously. Next time play attention or I'll be forced to confiscate your iPod. Now find a partner and get on the coach."

Asha sighed and looked around, searching for potential partners. She'd probably end up with Lucy again. That was when Danny Jones caught her eyes. He was standing alone, partner-less...Asha considered it. Talking to the boy she'd had a crush on for at least two years, sitting next to him, getting to know him...she sighed again. She couldn't leave Lucy on her own, that would just be mean. She began searching for the rest of her 'friends', and finally caught sight of Tara and Julia standing together, gossiping and squealing over some teenage heartthrob in a magazine.

"Hey guys, where's Lucy? Does she need a partner?"

"Nah, you don't have to worry about it Asha; she's asking Danny Jones to sit with her. She doesn't need you today."

Asha turned, and caught sight of Danny and Lucy talking, Lucy with a hand on her hip, twisting a strand of hair around her finger. Asha saw her saw something to Danny that made him burst out laughing, and tried to ignore the tight feeling in her throat.

-x-

Kate Bodsly had been a teacher at Grayshaw Mixed Grammar for two years and still didn't quite know what to make of Asha McBride. The girl was staring pensively out of the window, headphones in her ears, her thick, curly hair tumbling around her face. The seat next to her was empty, Kate realised, with a jolt of pity. Coming to a decision, at the next traffic lights she undid her seat belt, getting to her feet and making her way over, strapping herself in the seat next to the girl.

"Hello Asha."

The girl blinked, emerging from her daydream and removing her headphones. "Oh. Hello Miss Bodsly."

"Are you alright over here all by yourself?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

She didn't look it. Her face was [ale, the freckles across her nose standing out, and her eyes were ringed with dark shadows.

"Are you sure? You look exhausted."

"Been having some weird dreams." The girl replied, shrugging.

"Been eating cheese before bedtime?" Kate joked with a small laugh.

Asha's lips twitched slightly. "No Miss."

"Miss Bodly!" came a voice from the other end of the coach, "Carol's been sick!"

"I'm coming!" Kate called back, before turning back to Asha. "Duty calls, I'm afraid. Nice talking to you Asha."

"You too." Asha watched the blonde woman head down the aisle towards Carol before thoughtfully putting her headphones back in again.

-x-

"Chartmouth refinery is a respectable establishment which has always had the environments best interests at heart, despite what you may have heard from spiteful gossipmongers..."

Asha let the tour guides words wash over her and fade into a soothing hum in the background. Really, she reasoned, if the people from the refinery had wanted school children to listen to them, they would have employed a guide with a less monotonic voice. She gazed dreamily around the refinery, barely registering the babble of bored teenagers around her. Her eyes focused on a patch of shadow in the corner which seemed to be almost...shifting. She watched it vacantly, trotting after her class on automatic, becoming more and more intrigued every second, and was soon so absorbed that she didn't hear the voice shouting her name. "ASHA MCBRIDE!"

It finally broke through, and she jumped, losing her balance and toppling down the stair case which she had been unknowingly drifting towards.

"ASHA!"

Darkness.

-x-

Glass lay in glittering fragments around her. She turned and saw her face reflected a thousand times in the silver shards, a million images staring back at her with wide eyes.

There was a soft laugh.

Slowly, oh so slowly, Asha looked up.

The girl in the mirror smiled at her radiantly. Asha took her time clambering to her feet; the mirror which the girl appeared in looked different, and as she rose, she studied it, trying to work out what had changed. Then the realisation hit her. She moved forwards, careful not to step on any broken shards of mirror and reached out a hand, tracing the shape of the fine crack which ran diagonally across the mirror with barely a breath of air between her fingertips and the glass.

The girl reached out a hand as well. "Realised yet?"

Asha blinked and dropped her hand. "Realised what?"

"Well you wanted to know who I am."

"Oh..."

Asha gazed at her, eyes narrowed. She knew her from somewhere; it was something about her face, the shape of her eyes...

"You'll figure it out soon enough, Asha" the girl said, smirking. She hummed under her breath slightly. Asha felt unnerved, especially as the world around her had started to flicker. Vaguely, as if from a great way off, she thought she heard other voices.

"Blow to the head..."

"May have concussion..."

"Female, aged 15..."

"Asha, sweetheart, can you hear me?"

Asha clapped her hands over her ears, but she could still hear the girls giggle, and hear the words she was singing softly under her breath.

"_I'd rather be all alone,_

_Anywhere on my own,_

'_Cause I can see_

_The very worst part of you,_

_The very worst part of you is-"_

Asha never heard the girls' last words.

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**Lying from You Lyrics belong to Linkin Park, not me.**

**Please review!**

**xxx**


	8. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Asha sighed, staring out the window of the recovery ward, bored out of her mind. She'd been in Chartmouth Hospital for two days now, to recover from her concussion and to get some rest whilst her injuries healed, and her parents claimed that it was too far away from London for them to come down and visit. The only entertainment she'd had was the magazine thoughtfully bought to her by Miss Bodely, which she had read three times and finally leant to the girl in the bed opposite her, who was currently leafing through the pages. She glanced at girl and then back out of the window, loosing herself in daydreaming. She was aroused from her pensive state by a shrill squeal and the sound of the door of the ward being flung open. She looked around to see a tall Indian girl with a stricken expression sprinting down the ward, earning a disapproving glare from the nurse on duty, followed by a calmer, fair haired girl carrying a bunch of roses.

"Connie! I'm so, so sorry! But you're better! You look better than better: you look great!"

Asha raised an eyebrow. Great? Not a term that'd generally apply to anyone in hospital. But glancing over at the girl, she did notice a glow to her skin.

"Yes," the other girl said, "you do look well. What've they done to you?"

Asha knew it wasn't her conversation, and carefully averted her eyes, trying not to listen, but the Indian girls' next words caught her attention.

"I'm really, really sorry, you know that don't you? And I promise I won't go looking for the beast again."

_Beast?_ Asha bit her lip, looking down, knowing it was nosy, but straining to hear more.

"I know, let's just hope it's the last we've seen of the...of it."

Her fellow patient had seemed like she was going to say something else, but had changed her mind at the last minute. Curious, Asha looked up at her from behind her hair.

"Oh, it's still out there unfortunately. There was no sign of it when they combed the plantation: lots of blood, but nothing. We don't know what drove it off and ground was to dry for it to leave any tracks, but my dad says it'll have gone onto the moor to hide so it can lick its wounds. He's banned me from going up there again. I'm to stay in Hescombe until the creatures been caught and destroyed."

Blood? Asha wondered if some of the blood was the girls. It seemed that she had been attacked by this 'beast'; though she didn't seem too bad off. As the girl had said, she did look really great. Not at all like she'd been savaged. Strange.

"Me too." The fair haired girl again. "My parents are worried it may've got a taste for humans. What do you think your aunt will tell you?"

Aunt? Not parents? Asha glanced away again, feeling guilty for eavesdropping, staring at the ward door just in time to see a willowy, energetic woman burst in, her long brown hair flying everywhere, followed by an elderly man in what looked like a leather jacket

"Second shift," the blonde girl said, getting up, "See you when you get home, Connie."

"Thanks for coming." called the dark haired girl in the bed, waving goodbye to her friends. The moment the two girls had left, the brown haired woman enfolded the girl in a tight hug. Asha looked away again, playing with the duvet. That must be her aunt.

"Connie, you look so much better. Windfoal's cured you then?" The woman said loudly, beaming.

Asha looked up once more curiously, her head beginning to feel a little like a yo-yo. Who was Windfoal? A nickname for one of the doctors? Weird nickname...

The man noticed Asha's look and raised an eyebrow, causing her to blush and look down again. He turned away, looking back at the girl, speaking softly, so Asha only managed to catch a few words.

"Best...too much...Our companions...send greetings..."

Companions? Asha froze, Sophie's words echoing around her mind. _I'm a unicorn comp-_

Was it possible that these people were also in the society? Asha emerged from her confused tangle of thoughts to hear the girl speaking. "...how's Simon?"

The man sat down, his voice once again low, and Asha strained to hear.

"Questions...rock dwarfs...stone sprite interference...since the attack...his room."

Rock dwarfs? Was that some kind of code? Stone sprite interference? Was that something to do with computers?

"The trustees...emergency assessment...Liam...Society headquarters..." the man's voice became so quiet that Asha could only make out one word. "Chimera"

Asha could feel her hands shaking. So they _were_ in the society! She was so occupied in struggling to comprehend this information that she didn't even notice the man and the woman leave, and for the rest of the evening all her thoughts were on rock dwarfs, stone sprites, chimera's, the trustee's and the society.

-x-

_The dream this time was different. Asha felt detached from her body as she walked through a shadowy corridor, the walls lined with doors leading on different rooms, each occupied by one or more patients. She reached the end of the corridor and pushed open the swing door to the stair well. Up and up she climbed, her bare feet not registering the cold of the grey linoleum. Finally she reached the top and pushed down on the metal bar, opening the heavy door and stepping out onto concrete. The wind hit her with a blast, whipping her nightdress around her and tossing her hair about her face as she walked over to the edge. There, she perched, staring out into the night, waiting. Waiting for him. Shadows began to build and she reached out a hand-_

_There was a jerk on her arm, but she didn't react. Another jerk, before she was swept up in someone's arms and carried away. Her last, vacant glimpse of the sky before she returned to her slumber, revealed the blue black mist boiling in the air, blocking the light of the stars from view._

_

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_**Hahahaha, I wonder how many of you recognised where that scene was from? Hehehehe, if you didn't, try the Chimera's Curse, Chapter Five. Which is where some of the text comes from. Which belongs to Julia Golding, not me. :D**

**Reviews are really appreciated!**

**xxx**


	9. Chapter Six

**Hey guys! I am finally updating! Lent is over! Happy Easter everyone! So, this chapter is dedicated to the lovely reviewers who I owe a dedication to; you guys absolutely rock! Normally I dedicate each chapter to a couple of people, but I keep forgetting to do that, and haven't done that since the first chapter (which was dedicatated to Mbali97, FrozenSmoke and Angelmail, you awesome people you!) so consider this a catch-up dedication session...**

**So a massive thank you to: Darling Summers, t97, Kateyx, Nevin Slate, mangaanimefan4eva and Gard.**

**Thanks so much guys!**

**xxx**

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**Chapter Six**

Asha groaned to herself, lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. School tomorrow. She'd enjoyed her brief holiday from work, despite her injury, but Monday was looming and she would have to enjure the whispers and stares from her peers, half of whom were apparently convinced she'd tried to top herself. Just brilliant. In addition, or at least according to the nurse who'd found her on the roof, she'd started sleepwalking. He'd carried her back to bed, and left strict instructions that the door should be locked, just in case. As if her parents weren't annoyed enough all ready. They seemed convinced that she was just playing up for attention.

She sighed, watching the luminous stars that, when she was nine, she'd laboriously bluetacked to the boring white surface above her, and wondered whether there really was something wrong with her. She was still pondering that question as she fell into sleep.

-x-

_Light glittered from the many faceted surfaces. The shattered pieces of mirror still lay on the floor, and Asha walked over to one, inspecting it closely. Her reflection in the mirror appeared...strange. There was something different about it, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She bent down, reaching for the shard, her hand curling around it without conscious thought._

"_Owch!" she cried out as the jagged edge of the glass cut her; droplets of blood spattered the glass as it fell to the floor. Asha clutched her hand, looking at the wound. It was surprisingly deep. Blood pooled in her hands, and when she looked up and saw the girl in the mirror, she found that she was not alone. Blood dripped from the other girls fingertips, but her expression was very different to Asha's, whose face bore a mix of pain, confusion and a touch of fear. _

_The girl in the mirror was laughing._

-x-

"Her, over there!"

"Asha McBride? Seriously?"

"Threw herself down the stairs, I'm serious!"

Asha kept her head down, her hair flopping in front of her face. She wished in vain that the dark curls would act as a barrier, a shield between her and the vicious lies circulating the school. Apparently she's gone completely insane, attacked a teacher, tried to push the tour guide down the stairs before jumping herself.

Asha thought she preferred it when she had been invisible.

She joined the lunch queue, collecting a slice of pizza from the canteen worker and adding a carton of apple juice to her tray. She paid and tried to find a table, surveying the fasces staring at her. They had closed ranks, many placing bags on empty chairs. No one wanted to share a table with a homicidal, suicidal maniac. Asha's lips tightened, and she headed towards the door. She'd eat her lunch outside. She froze suddenly, catching sight of something dark in the corner of the room. A small cloud of billowing shadows...

Someone banged into her from behind. "Move it!"

She remained still, staring up at the cloud. She'd seen it before...in the refinery...

She screamed suddenly, fear rushing through her. People jumped, turning in their seats to stare at her as her tray crashed to the floor. Asha turned and ran, followed by more than two hundred curious and suspicious eyes.

She didn't know why she felt so afraid.

She just knew that those shadows were bad news. Very bad news indeed.

-x-

At least the bathroom was empty. Asha stayed there for the rest of lunch, hiding from the rest of the school. She was scared. Probably more scared than she'd ever been in her life. People don't just see clouds of shadows billowing in the corners of rooms. There was something wrong with her. Something very, very wrong with her. The shadows had been _alive. _She'd seen creatures forming in the writhing blackness, creatures like dragons and mermaids and minotaurs...She shook herself. That was impossible. She must still be suffering from the bump to her head. That was it. She must have concussion or something. The bell for fifth period rang and she unlocked the cubicle door, bracing herself for the stares and mutterings. Taking a deep breath, she left the bathroom and headed to her English classroom, keeping her head down.

-x-

_A cold breeze blew through the window, stirring the girls' hair around her face. She stood there, waiting, her eyes bright with expectation. He was coming. He was coming for _her._ The darkness formed outside of her window and, laughing, she reached out a hand. The contact was like a lightning bolt shocking through her body. A wave of emotions and desires that did not belong to her hit her, and she cried out._

Give yourself to me companion. And we will rule this world together.

_The girl smiled. _Ye-

"_Asha?"_

"Asha?" her mother walked over to her, sighing. "Sleepwalking again." She muttered, gently pulling her daughter away from the window and leading her back towards her bed. She tucked her in, before locking the window securely. She turned away, shutting the bedroom door behind her, not seeing the dark shape outside, banging furiously against the glass, desperate to resume the interrupted encounter.


	10. Chapter Seven

**Why hallo there chaps! I'm so excited; Part I of this story is nearly complete, eeeeeep! This is good because it means I can have a break from this story to write some more of other fics, but kinda sad, because I won't be updating for a while afterwards . However, there are still two more parts to follow, one of which has already been mapped out . No idea what's going to happen in Part III yet though...well, I have a vague idea, but that's all. I hope you enjoy the chapter, my little fruit bats, and thank all so much for the reviews! You guys totally rock!**

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_**Chapter Seven**_

She stood by the school gates, her hair blowing around her, a smirk curling around her lips.

Her eyes surveyed them all. Yesterday she'd been scared of them. Worried about what they thought of her. Today she couldn't care less.

She stepped through the gates, her head held high, her back straight, her green-grey eyes glittering.

People stared at her, whispering. She smiled, letting their whispers surround her. She was above that. She was amazing. She was powerful. They were the ants beneath her feet.

"Oi you! Girl with the curly hair!"

She glanced around at the boy yelling at her. "What?"

"Is it true you tried to top yourself?" his eager eyes studied her, searching for a good bit of gossip.

"No. It's not." She said, giving him a cold stare.

"But I just-"

"You can just go and fuck yourself." She gave him a sweet smile and a little wave. "Buh bye."

She walked off. She could feel him looking after and glanced back, smirking at the startled look on his face. Startled and a little admiring. She winked and looked away again. She felt amazing, she felt confident, she felt alive. They had better watch out. Because this time Asha wouldn't be afraid to bite back.

-x-

She was in the bathroom when Lucy came in. Asha was standing in front of the mirror, rearranging her curls with her fingers, when the girls' blonde hair caught her eyes. She turned around, giving her a sugar-sweet smile. "Lucy."

The girl jumped when she saw Asha, and her face went the colour of old paper. "A-Asha..." she stuttered, trying to smile, but it looked more like a strangled grimace.

Asha frowned slightly. The girl was scared of her. But why? Surely the rumours about hadn't done that much damage so quickly. "What's wrong?" she said softly, her voice low.

"N...Nothing." Lucy said, looking slightly desperate.

"Oh really?" Asha raised her eyebrows. Why would Lucy be this scared of her? What could Lucy have done to make her think Asha would want to hurt her? It hit her in a blinding flash. Lucy had sat next to Danny on the coach. Lucy might know that Asha liked Danny. And that maybe he liked her back...

_She spread the rumours about you._ Said a soft persuasive voice in the back of her mind. _She made him scared of you so he wouldn't act on his feelings. So that he'd like her instead..._

"Are you going out with Danny?" there was a tremor in Asha's voice.

Lucy froze, before spinning on her heel and running to the door. Asha was faster. She shot forwards, grabbed Lucy's arm and _twisted._ There was a crack and Lucy screamed. The toilets were empty. Asha smiled and twisted the lock on the main door, before tossing Lucy to the floor. Her own strength surprised her.

"You poisonous _bitch!_" Asha cried, kicking Lucy in the stomach. The girl curled up, crying. "You twisted, sick, lying hag!"she punctuated each word with a kick, before grabbing the girl by the neck and slamming her back against the wall. The back of Lucy's head cracked against the glass of the mirror and it splintered. Lucy's eyes rolled up in her head with pain and she went limp. Asha let her fall to the floor and spun around, unlocking the door and marching out of the bathroom, a smile curling around her lips.

_I'm unstoppable! I can do anything, be anything!_

The power thrilled her, burning darkly through her veins. She left the school building and walked out onto the field, the winds whipping at her hair.

_No one can stop me!_

Lightning danced round her, and she thought she saw twisting spirits dancing in the crackling blue electricity.

_You mean no one can stop us, companion._

The shock of the power which accompanied the voice slashed through her, and she felt herself falling. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed was the black storm clouds above her.

-x-

_The girl in the mirror was pacing back and forth impatiently, her red lips pursed._

"_So close...I'm so close..." she glowered at Asha. "Hurry up; this is all your fault. Stop delaying it! Why don't you just stop fighting?"_

_Asha wasn't sure what to say. "What am I fighting? What's happening to me? Who are you?"_

"_God!" the girl in the mirror glowered at her. "You really_ are_ stupid, aren't you? You seriously haven't figured it all out yet?"_

_Asha felt stung. "I don't know _anything_! How am I supposed to? How-" she broke off. Carefully stepping closer to the mirror she examined the long crack running diagonally across it, almost from corner to corner. It had been there before, but this time it was...wider. Little cracks were spreading off from it._

"_Why is the mirror breaking?" she asked, her eyes flicking to the girls._

_The girl smirked. "Because," she said, her lips curving into a vicious smile, "I'm getting stronger."_

Asha's eyes snapped open and she stared around her wildly. She was lying on the ground in the small copse of trees near the sports field, with her hair full of leaves. She slowly sat up, and glanced down, freezing when she saw her hands.

For some reason, her hands were speckled with blood.

And she didn't know where on earth it had come from.

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**Please review.**

**xxx**


	11. Chapter Eight

**Halloooo! Sorry for not updating for so long! I actually wrote chapter nine before this and then never got around to writing this chapter...hope you like :) I hope the next chapter isn't too confusing :S it's a bit of a montage :)**

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_**Chapter Eight**_

Thunder rumbled overhead as Asha darted though the streets. It was growing dark now, but she didn't want to go home. She didn't want to ever go home. She'd slid out of the back gate of the school field, down an alleyway and out onto the main road, easily escaping the school property; everyone knew how. The older years mainly used it for easy access to the local chippy. They'd miss her after lunch, but by then she'd be out of there. She looked down at herself again and pulled her coat tighter around her, trying to hide the blood stains. She still wasn't sure where they were from, but she had a horrible, lurking feeling that she'd down something terrible; the same feeling that had made her run as far away from the school as possible. She'd aimlessly wandered the town for the rest of the day; she'd sat numbly in the local library café for a while with a cup of coffee that had steadily grown colder and colder but had eventually left without drinking a drop. What was going on? Why couldn't she remember what she'd been doing all day? How had she ended up on the school playing field with blood on her hands? And the big question; whose blood was it?

There was an ominous growl from the black clouds above and Asha glanced up nervously, shivering and shrinking back into her coat. She ducked into a side alley, away from the harsh glare of the street lights, and she began to head towards the faint light at the end, stepping carefully over puddles and skirting around patches of mud. She halted as a shadow suddenly appeared at the end of the alley.

It was a man's shadow, a tall, lanky man wearing a hoodie. She began to back away slowly, turning her head to glance back the way she'd come. There was another man standing there, and as she watched he began to move towards her.

"Don't scream." the first man's voice was low pitched. "Scream and I'll stab you."

Asha whimpered softly, fear beginning to tingle through her.

"Give us everything. Your phone, your purse, your jewellery."

Both men were still drawing closer; they were close enough that Asha could see that they were more boys than men. Neither could have been over twenty.

"P….please…" Asha said, her voice coming out in a strangled squeak. "Please don't hurt me…."

The second man laughed. "'Oh, oh, _please _don't h…hurt me!" he said in a poor imitation of her voice. The other man joined in with his friends' laughter, but stopped rapidly as something shiny fell from his pocket with a soft thud. He bent to grab it, but Asha reached it first and brandished the knife at them threateningly.

"Don't move! "

There was silence for a moment before the two men began laughing again.

"Or what? You'll stab us darling? I really don't think so…"

Asha's confidence faltered, the hand holding the knife began to tremble. She felt panic closing in until suddenly…

"Shit! What the hell is that?" the first man stared at Asha.

"What's wha-well fuck me!" the other man began to back away from her slowly.

Asha smiled serenely as dark mist started to coil around her. "Aw, going so soon?" she cooed, gripping the knife more tightly. "But things are just about to get fun."

The first man spun and tried to run. But he didn't get very far. Neither did his friend.

Asha smiled as they began to scream.

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**Please review :)**

**xxx**


	12. Chapter Nine

**The final chapter in Part I...I hope you enjoy and please review! A massive thank you to everyone who has reviewed; you guys are the reason I update instead of just chilling in bed or something...mmmm...bed...:D. I'm going to put this story on Hiatus for a while to concentrate on other things, but I will return...with Part II!**

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**Chapter Nine**

The water trickled through her thick curls, getting rid of the stickiness which seemed to have come from nowhere. Asha vaguely wondered whether it was chocolate sauce, and then asked herself if she'd eaten any chocolate sauce. And then asked herself when she'd got into the shower. And why she was fully clothed.

_Images flickered behind her closed eyes as she lay curled in a ball on the bathroom floor, soaked-_

Asha blinked, staring around the tiled walls of the shower. That was weird. For a moment she'd thought she was somewhere el-

_She was lying in a puddle of water and something else. Slowly she raised her head to look up the mirror-_

Asha opened her eyes with a jerk. It had happened again. What was going on? She was just having a normal shower-

_The men had laughed when the saw that she had the knife. They'd taunted her, egging her on, daring her to do it. They'd stopped laughing after a while. She'd shown them. She'd-_

Asha stared around, her face ashen. Something weird was going on, something...why couldn't she remember? How had she got into the shower? She'd been walking home from school...

_Their screams filled her with exhilaration. The blood had been so beautiful, a deep crimson, running down their chests-_

She sank down to the floor of the shower, her eyes frantic. Nonono! What was she remembering? Why was she remembering this? Surely it was just a dream? A nightmare?

_As she twisted the knife deeper...how they had _screamed_-_

"NO!"

She could hear someone crying out, screaming, and she wasn't sure if it was real or happening in her own head-

_She slowly got up from the wet bathroom floor, which wasn't her bathroom floor at all. It was a hall of smashed mirrors..._

And she finally realised that the sticky substance that covered most of her body and clothes was a deep red-

_As she walked up to the mirror with her hand outstretched and the girl smiled and raised her own hand to meet her-_

"ASHA!"

She could hear her mother's voice outside of the door.

_She reached out, her fingers centimetres away from the crack-_

The bathroom window shattered and darkness poured inside-

_Her fingers met the cool glass of the mirror and for a moment the she and the girl seemed to almost touch-_

The screams intensified and she finally realised that the person screaming was her.

_The glass of the mirror shivered slightly, and suddenly shattered-_

"ASHA!"

_The dark waved that flowed from the space where the glass had been knocked Asha off of her feet. She screamed, going under the dark substance, and was unable to resurface. The girl in the mirror stepped out, tentatively at first, but her confidence grew with every step. She reached out a hand and pulled Asha to the surface, tilting her chin up._

"_You really didn't have a clue, did you?" she said, her dark eyes gleaming, and Asha suddenly realised why she was so familiar._

"_No..."_

"_Yes."_

_Asha's reflection laughed and suddenly moved forwards. Her arms reached out and wrapped around Asha. Asha had one last moment of consciousness before the girl _merged_ into her._

_The girl with a darker, more beautiful version of Asha McBrides face, stood, with the darkness flowing around her, and laughed._

"_Let's go companion." She said softly, her eyes glittering. "We have lots of work to do."_

**END OF PART I**


	13. Authors Note II

Hi there, everyone. I know I have severely neglected this category, but I wanted to finished off my other fics before I started, as I don't want to be juggling more than two regular fics at once, especially as I'm now entering my final year of school and will have to face the dreaded A-Level. DUN DUN DAAAAAH! Plus, I need to do loads of work to catch up next year, as I didn't get the grades I needed this year. In fact, I got a B in English. I actually got a C in the exam. A C. Yup. In the ONE subject I definitely need to get an A in, in order to go to the Universities I want. AGH! Luckily, I got full marks in the coursework, so it's not a low B (like I have in Drama :S). In fact, there may be a chance my grades will go up due to remarks and stuff, as my teacher thinks there must have been a mistake (I really, really hope there's been a mistake...) but in any case, I really have to pull my socks up. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I will be continuing this fic, and 'Insert An Interesting Title here' (which I do want to call 'Eyes Of The Elves', thanks to a wonderful suggestion by Auburn Waves :D), later this year, once I've polished off my fics 'High Tides' and 'I Am Number Five'. I'm not sure how long this will take, but be warned, continuation will hopefully happen! Also, I'll be re-writing some chapters of 'Forests of the Fey', and I'll be jiggling around some chapters of this fic too. You have been warned. :P

Much love, and thank all so much for every single review, because they all mean so much to me.

Sapphire

xxx


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